Gateway Device and System and Method for Use of Same

ABSTRACT

A gateway device and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, multiple wireless transceivers are located within an in-wall housing, which also interconnectedly includes a processor, memory, various physical ports and wireless transceivers. To improve convenience, the gateway device may establish a pairing with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device. Virtual remote control functionality for various amenities may then be provided. To improve safety, the gateway device may be incorporated into a geolocation and safety network.

PRIORITY STATEMENT & CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/000,278, entitled “Gateway Device and System and method for Use ofSame” and filed on Aug. 22, 2020, in the names of William C. Fang, etal., now U.S. Pat. No. 10,999,895, issued on May 4, 2021; which claimspriority from Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 62/890,354,entitled “Gateway Device and System and Method for Use of Same” andfiled on Aug. 22, 2019, in the name of William C. Fang; both of whichare hereby incorporated by reference, in entirety, for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to gateway devices and, inparticular, to gateway devices with enhanced convenience and systems andmethods for use of the same that address and enhance the automation ofsolutions in a room or other environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the background willbe described in relation to the hospitality lodging industry, as anexample. To many individuals, a hotel room is more than just a place tosleep, rather it is part of a larger and hopefully positive, hospitalityexperience. Hotel guests are seeking enhanced convenience in aneasy-to-use platform to make this experience a reality. As a result ofsuch consumer preferences, hassle free connectivity and confidenceinspiring control of room amenities are differentiators in determiningthe experience of guests staying in hospitality lodging establishments.Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods forproviding enhanced convenience in an easy-to-use platform in thehospitality lodging industry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to achieve a gateway device that would improveupon existing limitations in functionality. It would be desirable toenable a computer-based electronics and software solution that wouldprovide enhanced convenience in an easy-to-use platform in thehospitality lodging industry or in another environment. Further, itwould also be desirable to enable a computer-based electronics andsoftware solution that would provide improved safety in a reliableplatform. To better address one or more of these concerns, a gatewaydevice and system and method for use of the same are disclosed.

In one embodiment, multiple wireless transceivers are located within anin-wall housing, which also interconnectedly includes a processor,memory, various physical ports and wireless transceivers. To improveconvenience, the gateway device may establish a pairing with a proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device. Virtual remote controlfunctionality for various amenities may then be provided. To improvesafety, the gateway device may be incorporated into a geolocation andsafety network. These and other aspects of the invention will beapparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments describedhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of thepresent invention, reference is now made to the detailed description ofthe invention along with the accompanying figures in which correspondingnumerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of a system forproviding a gateway device providing enhanced convenience and safetyfunctionality therewith according to the teachings presented herein;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the gateway device presented inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of another embodiment of the gatewaydevice presented in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a housing associated with thegateway device presented in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of thegateway device presented herein;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method forproviding a gateway device having enhanced convenience according to theteachings presented herein; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method forproviding a gateway device furnishing enhanced safety according to theteachings presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts, whichcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the presentinvention.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, therein is depicted one embodiment of asystem 10 utilizing a gateway device 12 with enhanced contentcapabilities and safety capabilities being employed within a hospitalitylodging establishment, as an example. The hospitality lodgingestablishment or, more generally, hospitality property, may be afurnished multi-family residence, dormitory, lodging establishment,hotel, hospital, or other multi-unit environment. More generally, thesystem 10 and the teachings presented herein are applicable to anymulti-unit environment including hospitality environments, educationalcampuses, hospital campuses, office buildings, multi-unit dwellings,sport facilities and shopping malls, for example.

As shown, by way of example and not by way of limitation, thehospitality environment is depicted as the hotel H having various roomsand spaces, including room R and back of the house operations O. As willbe discussed in additional detail, the gateway device 12 iscommunicatively disposed with various amenities associated with thehospitality environment or hotel H as well as a geolocation and safetynetwork 18. Gateway devices, like the gateway device 12, may be deployedthroughout the spaces S and rooms of the hotel H.

As shown, in one embodiment, within the room R, for example, the system10 includes the gateway device 12 having an in-wall profile with ahousing 14 at wall W. A configuration profile 16 provides theinformation and credentials necessary for the gateway device 12 to haveconvenient connections to amenities and a safe experience for the guestsas well as workers at the hotel H through the geolocation and safetynetwork 18, as will be described below. Multiple antennas provide forthe wireless capabilities of the gateway device 12 and include, forexample, wireless standards: Wi-Fi 20, Bluetooth 22, and ZigBee 24. Moregenerally, it should be appreciated that the wireless standardspresented in FIG. 1 are depicted for illustrative purposes.

The gateway device 12 communicates wirelessly with various amenities 30,which are depicted as environmental amenities, within an environment ofthe room R. As shown, the amenities may include lighting 32, athermostat 34 representing temperature control, a speaker 36, windowshades 38, and security 40, which is depicted as a door indication for“Please Do Not Disturb.” A programmable device 42, such as a singlebutton programmable device 44 having a button 45 with Bluetoothcapabilities 46 or a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmabledevice 48 may be in communication with the gateway device 12 by awireless standard. As shown, the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device may be a wireless-enabled interactive handhelddevice that may be supplied or carried by the guest or employee ormanager, for example, and may be selected from a range of existingdevices, such as, for example personal computers, laptops, tabletcomputers, smart phones, and smart watches, for example. In oneimplementation, an application installed from a server enables thegateway device 12 and the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 48 to be wirelessly paired. In another embodiment, achallenge-response is utilized to wirelessly pair the gateway device 12and the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 48.

As shown, the configuration profile 16 is loaded within the gatewaydevice 12. The guest configuration profile may be loaded from theoperations, e.g., the front desk or hotel headend, by use of a remotecontrol, or by a proximate device, such as the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 48. The configurationprofile 16 enables, in operation, to query the status of one of theamenities, to furnish virtual remote control functionality of theamenities 30 that may be provided by the proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device 48, and to import content from theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device to one of theamenities 30, such as the speaker 36. Such functionality is depicted bythe proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 48 havinga display 50 and a virtual interface 52 thereon for controlling thetemperature of the temperature control amenity 34 by way of a Wi-Fiwireless signal 54 that is received by the gateway device 12 andtransmitted to the temperature control 34.

In another implantation, the gateway device 12 has a data link to theserver 56 which is providing the geolocation and safety network 18,which includes the gateway device 12 as well as the programmable device42 in the form of the single button programmable device 44 or theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 48. In oneimplementation, an individual has the programmable device 44, which maytransmit a beacon from the programmable device 44 using a wirelessstandard such as Bluetooth 46 to the gateway device 12. The gatewaydevice 12 then processes the received beacon signal and sends abroadcast signal to the server 56. More particularly, with respect todata flow 60, the programmable device 44 transmits the beacon signal 62which includes a personal location device identification identifying theprogrammable device 44. The beacon signal 62 is received by the gatewaydevice 12 which transmits a broadcast signal 64 including the personallocation device identification, a gateway device identificationidentifying the gateway device 12, and a signal characteristicindicator, such as signal strength, for example. The server 56 receivesthe broadcast signal 64 and uses multiple broadcast signals, includingbroadcast signal 66, for locationing 68, such as triangulation, of thelocation of the programmable device 44. The server 56, in turn, sendsout the appropriate notifications 70 to various phones, activatesalarms, or notify others via a computer, depending on the situation. Asa spatial array of horizontal and vertical gateway devices may beprovided, the server 56 and system presented herein is able to determinethe location of the individual associated with the programmable device44 within a building. The location information determined includes whichfloor the individual is presently located as well as the room or commonarea.

Referring now to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, as mentioned, the gatewaydevice 12 is mounted within the wall W. The gateway device 12 mayinclude the housing 14, which, as shown, is a utility box 80 having anopen end and four side walls 84, 86, 88, 90 as well as a rear wall 92,which is opposite the open end 82. The housing 14 may include an in-wallelectrical box and the utility box 80 may be a single gang utility boxor double gang utility box, for example. A panel 94, which is configuredto substantially mount flush with the wall W, mates with the open end 82of the utility box 80 to form a front portion of the housing 14. Asshown, the panel 94 includes vents and, in particular, vents 96, 98,100, 102. Although, it should be appreciated that any configuration ofvents may be utilized.

Multiple mounting holes are located in the panel to accept fasteners,such as screws, which are driven into corresponding mounting holes at anedge of the open end 82 of the utility box 80. In the illustratedembodiment, four mounting holes 104, 106, 108, 110 and four respectivescrews 112, 114, 116, 118 are employed to secure the panel 94.Similarly, the utility box 80 may include wall mounting holes andcorresponding fasteners and brackets for securing the gateway device 12within the wall W. As shown, the utility box 80 includes fasteners 120,122, 124, 126 for mating with mounting holes 128, 130, 132, 134 atflanges 136, 137 which extend from the open end 82 of the utility box16.

Ports, disposed within respective openings defined by the housing 14,receive respective optio-electric connectors, which may be optical orelectrical, for example, that include optio-electrically conductiveelements. The ports may be configured to provide a connection toexternal audio-visual devices, such as televisions, and external sourcesof signal for the external audio-visual devices, such as coaxial cable,fiber, ethernet, USB devices, etc. By way of example and not by way oflimitation, the ports and associated optio-electric connectors mayinclude RJ45, serial, IR Input, service/control, USB, video, ethernet,L/R audio cable, and digital audio optical. As shown, in oneimplementation, the panel 94 is flat. It should be appreciated, however,the panel 94 may include openings and ports for various optio-electricconnectors, such as: video output (HDMI-HDCP), video input (HDMI-HDCP),video input (HDMI-HDCP), ethernet, display control (ethernet), digitalaudio, left audio output, and right audio output. With respect to therear wall 92, openings 138, 140, 142, 144, 146 for corresponding ports148, 150, 152, 154, 156 which further correspond to the respectivefollowing optio-electric connectors: power, RJ45, USB, ethernet, andcoaxial cable. The ethernet connector may be a CAT5 or CAT6 connection,for example. It should be appreciated that although one architecture ofopenings, ports, and optio-electric connectors is depicted, the locationand types of openings, ports, and optio-electric connectors may varywith the teachings presented herein and FIG. 2 through FIG. 4 presentonly a non-limiting example. As described, each port includes a multipleoptio-electrically conductive elements for coupling to the circuitboard. The optio-electrically conductive elements couple an externalsource of signal to the gateway device 12. As depicted, all inputsources are located in the utility box 80, whether a side wall 84, 86,88, 90 or a rear wall 92, as shown.

Referring to FIG. 5, within the housing 14, a processor 170, memory 172,storage 174, inputs 176, and outputs 178 are interconnected by a busarchitecture 180 within a mounting architecture. The RJ-45 port 150, USBport 152, ethernet port 154, and coaxial cable port 156 are alsointerconnected into the bus architecture 180. The processor 170 mayprocess instructions for execution within the computing device,including instructions stored in the memory 172 or in storage 174. Thememory 172 stores information within the computing device. In oneimplementation, the memory 172 is a volatile memory unit or units. Inanother implementation, the memory 172 is a non-volatile memory unit orunits. Storage 174 provides capacity that is capable of providing massstorage for the gateway device 12. Various inputs 176 and outputs 178provide connections to and from the computing device, wherein the inputs176 are the signals or data received by the gateway device 12, and theoutputs 178 are the signals or data sent from the gateway device 12.Power may be provided by the aforementioned power port 138. Power mayalso be provided as power of ethernet by way of the ethernet port 154.The RJ-45 port 150, USB port 152, ethernet port 154, and coaxial cableport 156 may provide physical connections to the amenities 30 and/or thegeolocation and safety network 18 and the server 56.

Multiple transceivers 182 are associated with the gateway device 12 andcommunicatively disposed with the bus 180. As shown the transceivers 182may be internal, external, or a combination thereof to the housing.Further, the transceivers 182 may be a transmitter/receiver, receiver,or an antenna for example. Communication between various amenities inthe room R and the gateway device 12 may be enabled by a variety ofwireless methodologies employed by the transceiver 182, including802.11, 802.15, 802.15.4, 3G, 4G, Edge, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, near fieldcommunications (NFC), Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth, for example.Also, infrared (IR) may be utilized. The multiple transceivers 182 mayalso provide a wireless connection to the geolocation and safety network18 and server 56.

The memory 172 and storage 174 are accessible to the processor 170 andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor 170 to execute a series of operations. With respect to firstprocessor-executable instructions, the processor 170 is caused toestablish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 42 and the gateway device 12. Theprocessor-executable instructions then send user interface instructionsrelative to the amenity to the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 48. The instructions may further cause the processor170 to receive and process user input instructions relative to theamenity 30 from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmabledevice 48. The processor-executable instructions may also cause theprocessor 170 to generate a command signal and send the command signalto the amenity 30.

The memory 172 may also include second processor-executable instructionsthat, when executed, cause the processor 170 to receive and process abeacon signal including a personal location device identification. Theinstructions may then cause the processor 170 to generate a gatewaysignal including the personal location device identification, a gatewaydevice identification, and signal characteristics indicator. Finally,the instructions may cause the processor 170 to send the gateway signalto the server 56.

The memory 172 may also include third processor-executable instructionsthat, when executed, cause the processor 170 to establish a pairingbetween the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device48 and the gateway device 12. Following the establishment of a pairing,the processor-executable instructions may cause the processor 170 tosend user interface instructions relative to the amenity 30 to theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device 48. Theinstructions may then cause the processor 170 to receive and processuser input instructions relative to the amenity from the proximatewireless-enabled interactive programmable device 48. As part of thestatus inquiry process, the processor-executable instructions may thengenerate a status inquiry, send the status inquiry to the amenity 30,receive a response to the status inquiry at the gateway device 12, andforward a status response to the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device 48.

Thus, the systems and methods disclosed herein may enable users to useexisting electronic devices as a temporary remote control device tocontrol various amenities. Therefore, the systems and methods presentedherein avoid the need for additional or expensive high functionalityremote controls. In this respect, the teachings presented herein alsoinclude providing the software and/or application for the electronicdevice or interactive handheld device. The application, to the extentneeded, may be downloaded from the Internet or alternatively madeavailable by download from the set-top box. Further, the systems andmethods disclosed herein may enable users to be part of a geolocationand safety network.

In one embodiment, the in-wall gateway device 12 has Internet of Things(IOT) functionality to control amenities using the wireless transceivers182 with a wireless communication protocol such as 802.15.4 radio withZigbee, Thread, or another Wi-Fi protocol. Alternatively, a physicalport and physical connection, such as the USB port 152, may utilize auniversal serial bus standard like USB5 to control one or more of theamenities. Communication with the server 56 may be achieved via thewireless transceivers 182 or by way of the ethernet port 154 using awired-ethernet standard such as CAT5 or CAT6, for example.

In one embodiment, the in-wall gateway device 12 has connectivity to thegeolocation and safety network 18 by way of a backhaul connection to theserver 56. This connection may be accomplished by the ethernet port 154using a wired-ethernet standard such as CAT5 or CAT6, for example.Alternatively, connectivity to the server 56 may be provided by thewireless transceivers 182 with a wireless communication protocol. Asanother alternative, connectivity to the server 56 may be furnished bythe coaxial cable port 156 using a Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecification (DOCSIS) connection, for example. The in-wall gatewaydevice 12 may receive beacons from various wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable devices 48 using a wireless connection such as Bluetoothlow energy or a 2.4 proprietary protocol, for example. Power may beprovided by a Power over Ethernet (PoE) connection furnished by theethernet port 154. Alternatively, a separate AC power connection may beprovided.

FIG. 6 depicts one embodiment of a method for providing conveniencethrough a remote control device controlling amenities, according to theteachings presented herein. At block 200, a search, which may be activeor passive, is performed by the gateway device to identify a physicallyproximate programmable device in the multi-room environment, forexample. At block 202, a pairing is established. As noted by block 204,the pairing may provide an experience that includes providing a virtualinterface with virtual buttons, for example. Referring to decision block206, as previously discussed, the virtual remote controls and interfaceeach correspond to amenities under the control of the gateway deviceand, as a result, the status may be determined of the amenity or theamenity may be controlled.

With respect to amenity status, at block 208, instructions are providedto the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device toenable requests for the status of an amenity. At block 210, commands arereceived at the gateway device relative to user input and a statusinquiry. At block 212, the commands are translated and at block 214 astatus inquiry is sent to the amenity. At block 216, a response to thestatus inquiry is received at the gateway device and forwarded to theproximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device at block 218.

With respect to control of amenities, at block 220, instructions areprovided from the gateway device for a virtual interface on a touchscreen display associated with the proximate wireless-enabledinteractive programmable device. In one embodiment, the virtual buttonsare associated with the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device and relate to obtaining user input for the amenitycontrol functionality provided by the set-top box. At block 222, theset-top box receives and processes amenity control functionality inputinstructions from the proximate wireless-enabled interactiveprogrammable device. At block 224, the commands are translated into acommand signal. At block 226, the command signal is sent to theparticular amenity.

FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of a method for providing safety in ahospitality environment or other environment, according to the teachingspresented herein. At block 230, the array of gateway devices is deployedvertically and horizontally throughout the hospitality environment. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the systems and methods presentedherein apply to horizontal arrays of gateway devices as well. At block232, beacon signals are periodically transmitted from personal locationdevices and received by the gateway devices.

At block 234, the beacon signals are received and processed at thegateway device. The beacon signals may include a personal locationdevice identification corresponding to the device being employed by theuser. In one embodiment, signal characteristics of the beacon signalssuch as signal strength or phase angle measurements or flight timemeasurements may be utilized. At block 236, gateway signals are sentfrom the gateway devices to a server that is part of the geolocation andsafety network. The gateway signals may include the personal locationdevice identification, gateway device identification, and signalcharacteristic indicators. At block 238, the server receives andprocesses the gateway signals. At this step, the server may identify thelocation of the origin of the beacon signal and estimate the location ofthe personal location device. At decision block 240, the server takesaction based on the mode of operation. In a first mode of operation atblock 242, a service request is associated with the location of the userutilizing the location of the personal location device such as thewireless-enabled interactive programmable device as a proxy. In a secondmode of operation at block 244, an emergency alert is sent andsubsequent notification (block 246) occurs. The emergency alert includesan indication of distress and the location of the user utilizing thelocation of the wireless-enabled interactive programmable device as aproxy. In a third mode of operation at block 248, a map of individualsis updated with the location of the user with, if privacy settings beingenabled, the system maintains the privacy of the individual working inthe hospitality environment such that the system only retains in memorythe last known position and time of the user-supplied wireless-enabledsmart and interactive handheld device. Further, in this mode ofoperation, the system does not reveal the location of the individual andprogrammable device unless and until an alert is issued.

The gateway device and systems and methods presented herein areparticularly applicable to non-hotel guest room applications likehallways as well as the aforementioned educational environments,including hallways, gymnasiums, cafeterias and libraries. In suchapplications, the cameras on the gateway devices may be activated by asignal from the server following an alert, for example. Alternatively,the cameras may self-actuate following an alert from a personal locationdevice. The video feed or video feeds received at the server may beutilized by safety and security personal or law enforcement to assessthe situation.

The order of execution or performance of the methods and data flowsillustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwisespecified. That is, elements of the methods and data flows may beperformed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and that the methodsmay include more or less elements than those disclosed herein. Forexample, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particularelement before, contemporaneously with, or after another element are allpossible sequences of execution.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of theillustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention,will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to thedescription. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claimsencompass any such modifications or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gateway device comprising: a housing securing a processor and memory therein, the housing being configured to be mounted within a wall located within a space, the housing including a utility box being an in-wall portion and a panel configured to mount thereto, the utility box having a plurality of sidewalls and a rear wall; the panel forming a front portion of the housing, the panel including vents, the panel configured to mount substantially flush with the wall; a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the processor and the memory; a first physical port secured at the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the first physical port configured to provide a physical wired interface for data and power to the gateway device, the first physical port being located at the rear wall in the utility box; a plurality of wireless transceivers associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the plurality of wireless transceivers configured to communicate via a plurality of wireless standards; the first physical port providing a power connection to the gateway device; the first physical port providing a data link to a server, the server managing a geolocation and safety network including a plurality of gateway devices; at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers being configured to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device; at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers being configured to communicate with a proximate amenity, the proximate amenity being co-located with the gateway device at the space; the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including first processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the gateway device via at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers, send user interface instructions relative to the amenity to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, and receive and process user input instructions relative to the amenity from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device; and the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including second processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive and process a beacon signal including a personal location device identification, generate a gateway signal including the personal location device identification, a gateway device identification, and signal characteristics indicator, and send the gateway signal to the server via the data link.
 2. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an in-wall electrical box.
 3. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the utility box further comprises a box selected from the group consisting of single gang utility boxes and double gang utility boxes.
 4. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first physical port further comprises an RJ45 port.
 5. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first physical port comprises a connection selected from the group consisting of CAT5 connections, CAT6 connections, and Ethernet connections.
 6. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless standards are selected from a group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 802.15, 802.15.4, 3G, 4G, Edge, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.
 7. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless transceivers is at least partially internal to the housing.
 8. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless transceivers is at least partially external to the housing.
 9. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of wireless transceivers further comprise an antenna.
 10. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of personal computers, laptops, tablet computers, smart phones, and smart watches.
 11. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the personal location device further comprises the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device.
 12. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the personal location device further comprises a single button personal location device.
 13. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the amenity is selected from a group consisting of lighting control, temperature control, speakers, window shade control, and door security.
 14. The gateway device as recited in claim 1, wherein the signal characteristics indicator is based on the beacon signal being received at the gateway device.
 15. The gateway device as recited in claim 14, wherein the signal characteristics indicator is selected from a group consisting of signal strength measurements, phase angle measurements, and flight time measurements.
 16. A gateway device comprising: a housing securing a processor and memory therein, the housing being configured to be mounted within a wall located within a space, the housing including a utility box being an in-wall portion and a panel configured to mount thereto, the utility box having a plurality of sidewalls and a rear wall; the panel forming a front portion of the housing, the panel including vents, the panel configured to mount substantially flush with the wall; a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the processor and the memory; a first physical port secured at the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the first physical port configured to provide a physical wired interface for data and power to the gateway device, the first physical port being located at the rear wall in the utility box; a plurality of wireless transceivers associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the plurality of wireless transceivers configured to communicate via a plurality of wireless standards; the first physical port providing a power connection to the gateway device; the first physical port providing a data link to a server, the server managing a geolocation and safety network including a plurality of gateway devices; at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers being configured to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device; at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers being configured to communicate with a proximate amenity, the proximate amenity being co-located with the gateway device at the space; and the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive and process a beacon signal including a personal location device identification, generate a gateway signal including the personal location device identification, a gateway device identification, and signal characteristics indicator, and send the gateway signal to the server via the data link.
 17. The gateway device as recited in claim 16, wherein the first physical port further comprises an RJ45 port.
 18. The gateway device as recited in claim 16, wherein the first physical port comprises a connection selected from the group consisting of CAT5 connections, CAT6 connections, and Ethernet connections.
 19. The gateway device as recited in claim 16, wherein the wireless standards are selected from a group consisting of infrared (IR), 802.11, 802.15, 802.15.4, 3G, 4G, Edge, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, near field communications (NFC), and Bluetooth.
 20. A gateway device comprising: a housing securing a processor and memory therein, the housing being configured to be mounted within a wall located within a space, the housing including a utility box being an in-wall portion and a panel configured to mount thereto, the utility box having a plurality of sidewalls and a rear wall; the panel forming a front portion of the housing, the panel including vents, the panel configured to mount substantially flush with the wall; a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the processor and the memory; a first physical port secured at the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the first physical port configured to provide a physical wired interface for data and power to the gateway device, the first physical port being located at the rear wall in the utility box; a plurality of wireless transceivers associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the plurality of wireless transceivers configured to communicate via a plurality of wireless standards; the first physical port providing a power connection to the gateway device; the first physical port providing a data link to a server, the server managing a geolocation and safety network including a plurality of gateway devices; at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers being configured to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device; at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers being configured to communicate with a proximate amenity, the proximate amenity being co-located with the gateway device at the space; and the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the gateway device via at least one of the plurality of wireless transceivers, send user interface instructions relative to the amenity to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, and receive and process user input instructions relative to the amenity from the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device. 